And because I need some good news about shopping and retail news…FashionWeekDaily reveals the latest and greatest from Carmen Busquets who owns 31% of Net-a-porter: CoutureLab (of which she owns 100%). Unlike the more recent (and vile) celeb-launches and massive retailers, CoutureLab takes a different approach: it actually appreciates the unique, season-less and somewhat trend-free goods of designers who often craft items by hand and perhaps even only a few at a time. Some of the first designers to appear will be L’Wren Scott, Maurizio Galante and Duro Olowu. My thought: CoutureLab is abfab. Divine.– Joanne Molina for Second City Style

A DESIGNING MIND: Investor and former fashion retailer Carmen Busquets
has just unveiled her latest venture, CoutureLab, a gallery filled with
one-off and limited edition fashion, furniture, jewelry and accessories
in London’s Chelsea. Busquets, one of the main backers of Net-a-porter,
has gone in the opposite direction from trend-led fashion, and is now
offering season-less, trend-free, often handmade designs from a range
of creatives around the world. Fashion designers working with her
include Maurizio Galante, Duro Olowu, and L’Wren Scott, and other creatives on board include luxury leather expert Jean-Francois Ducas, jewelry designer Siki de Somalie, and sculptor Ernst Gamperl.
"The idea for Couture Lab was born seven years ago, but it wasn’t the
time to talk about a design ‘laboratory’ or a project that didn’t
involve trends or fashion," said Busquets, who began her fashion career
as a retailer in Caracas, Venezuela. "But now, the time is right."